The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
WELCOME
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INTRODUCTIONS
Hello, I'm new to the Goodreads community and the group so I thought I'd introduce myself :)
My name is Marie I'm a 20 year old history student from Canada. I read.... Constantly, atm its mostly for my studies, but if I find any free time I'm probably still reading.
Besides that I'm interested in coffee/tea culture, wine culture, running, history and cartoons
I read a lot of classics, politics, philosophy, historical works and fiction.
I'm really looking forward to participating in this group, and if anyone reading this has similar interests feel free to friend !
Hello Cynthia and everyone! You all sound like a fun group. I look forward to getting to know you and participating in the tasks and challenges. I don't quite understand how this works yet, but I am sure I will get it once I get started. Now on to the introduction. lol
My name is Adriana. I reside in the sunny state of Florida, by Fort Lauderdale beach. Everyone wants to come to the sun and I am dying to head out to the snow. I am a midwestern girl at heart. Raised all over the United States and in a few countries, but overall, I consider Michigan home. I lived there the longest I suppose. That is where i made my greatest friendships and have my fondest memories. I am thinking about leaving the sunshine for Michigan, this up coming summer.
I have a beautiful 8 year old daughter who is the light in my life. We have a beautiful friendship and mother daughter/relationship. Full of respect and laughter.
I also have a cat whose name is Christina-Luna. She is a Bombay cat and absolutely gorgeous! Found in a very busy street, at midnight. She and her siblings were so tiny they looked hairless. Newborns I would say. My neighbor found them, took them in and my daughter and I could not resist her and brought her home to be part of our family. We are so glad we did! She fills us with laughter and cuddles.
Cynthia, I have wanted a bulldog my entire life. They are gorgeous. As for the Cocker spaniel, the love of my life was a Cocker spaniel named Chance. He was our family dog and silly as anything. He passed on but he left us with wonderful memories.
As for me personally let's see...what can I tell you? I am 25 for the 5th time. LOL I am single and loving it! I am a Francophile obsessed with all things French. An Architecture and Interior Design major, thinking about starting up a marketing company (I've had this on my mind 8 years. It's time I do it!) And I suppose the rest there is to know about me, (or at least some of it), can be found on my about me page.
Thanks again for allowing me the opportunity to be part of the group!
Hi Adriana - welcome to the challenge (this is my 2nd attempt - I found it very challenging)!I know what you mean about FL when you're from somewhere else - I lived in Melbourne for 2 years, but it wasn't for me, I needed my seasons and some snow.
Hi Cynthia (and fellow readers)!My name is Jenny, and I am a 29 year old "back to college" student. I am getting my Bachelors in art (I LOVE anything fine art related---especially printmaking)! However, I am hoping to gain entry into the OT masters program at my local university. Odd combo of Art and Science, right?
I am looking forward to the challenges and think this is a great group to join! I have been unable to locate a local book club, and even considered starting one at my university...which I may do, but I came across goodreads, and this club, and here I am!
Hoping to make some new friends and have thoughtful and intellectual book-related conversations! Pleasure to meet you!
Welcome to the challenge, Jenny! I hope you enjoy it!
Hello all. I am an avid reader of nearly every genre. I hope to find others who share a wide range of reading styles and genres who can turn me on to something I have yet to read. Please friend me and share!A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge. -Tyrion Lannister
A Game of Thrones
By: George R.R. Martin
Hi, my name is Marina and I'm new in this group. I've been on Goodreads for a couple of years but this is the first year where I participate in challenges. The social aspect of Goodreads is also new to me, but I'm always open for new friendships.
I'm 31 years old and live in Copenhagen, Denmark with my husband. I work full-time which leaves me with not enough time to read!
My favourite genres is probably historical fiction, chick-lit, humour and crime/thrillers, but I try to read different books and challenge myself.
I look forward to participate in The Seasonal Reading challenge :-)
My son was in Copenhagen and loved it! My other son's girlfriend won a trip to Finland - imagine that - and he may go with her. Goodreads is great as a reference tool. i sometimes log into a particular author to see what else has been written. Also, certain genre suggestions. I have returned to reading the classics. Always thought fiction was self indulgent but now i see it as social commentary. Into French lit right now.
Hi, I am Bridget. I loved reading for pleasure most of my life. Busy times with kids kept my nose out of books for many years but I am back and am loving it! Goodreads has been helpful for finding new books and to maintain my lists. I also like the quotes from books.
I may write a snippet of a review now and again but enjoy the high quality thoughtful reviews others contribute on Goodreads.
This Seasonal Challenge book looks a little overwhelming at first glance. There are so many active members and the help pages look ... helpful!
The past 18 months I have been in a 5 person book club that meets monthly during the school year.
I am soon to retire to Sosua, Dominican Republic from Long Island, NY.
I am using Bridget Sosua as readerboard name.
Hi everyone I'm Cody!I'm a new book blogger and I would love any feedback, tips, books to review or just discussing books in general.. I mainly read YA/NA, Fantasy, Romance, Dystopian and Science Fiction.
Check out my blog at:
http://literary-lyobsessed.blogspot.c...
Thank you :)
Hi All;My name is Jai, and I live in Central Florida. I am an art hobbyist, and an avid reader. This is my first time joining a reading challenge, and I am really looking forward to it.
Hi folks! I'm Jessie and I'm new here. I don't usually join groups nor do introductions but this group looks like fun. I don't have a specific favourite genre, I pick up books given it has a good synopsis. Looking forward to the Spring 2015 challenge and meeting new GR buddies :)
Hi! My name is Cathy. I am 55 and live in Webb City, Mo. I work part time at Michael's Craft Store.Happily married. I have two daughters, almost 4 grandchildren, and one cat!
I love reading and crafting. My youngest daughter (24) told me I needed to join this group, so here i am......not to figure this all out!
My name is Connie, and I am a retired English teacher. Books have been my passion since I was a pre-school kid. As a child I remember sneaking a flashlight under the covers to read after my bedtime so often that it became a common occurrence. I still read late at night, but, fortunately, I have an iPad now. : ) I have read the rules and general information for the SRC and am excited to get started! I appreciate mods' organization and creativity.
Hi Connie!As I was writing my debut SF/F novel (I'm 64), I imagined teens with flashlights under their covers, reading content that some very conservative parents would confiscate.
Were some books banned in your schools? If my work finally achieves recognition, which is expected, I bet that it would never appear in Public School, not even as an elective read.
The generation gap between parents (including publishers and editors) and their teenage children seems wider than ever before. In my own family, I have two nieces that are gay and lesbian. Both hide "it" from their respective parents, although they have disclosed to other family members. Will some parents ever grow up?
I was fortunate to connect with an open-minded traditional small press publisher. He didn't charge me a cent to edit, create the book cover, or to publish my novel. While he "wore me out" during the editing process, he never once addressed content: child maltreatment, domestic violence, premature exposure to sex (a supporting character was hidden in a closet and watched as her parents had sex), and marijuana use for medicinal purposes and as a recreation.
Since the publisher is very active in the GLBTQ movement in England, maybe his teenage years included experiences similar to the ones that my nieces are growing through. Maybe these experiences affected his development of an exceptional sense of loyalty to honesty in literature. I don't know. We're not personal like that -- strictly professional. I live in West Virginia, and that's a long way from Leeds.
Welcome aboard! BTW, I retired last month from a day job as a children's psychotherapist in a community mental health center. Besides long overdue home repair, I've been busier than ever -- writing fiction. Stay busy yourself. Stay healthy.
As Neil Young sang, "...It's better to burn out than to fade away...."
Hi Robert, Your book sounds exactly like the kind of book that teens will enjoy. It sounds like you understand how to empathize with teens without making them feel childish. In the many years I have worked with kids, I have found that they appreciate someone who treats them with dignity, appreciates their intelligence, and demonstrations sincere concern for them. We all just want to be loved. All the labels society puts on people just get in the way, and it is a shame that we continue to allow such juggemental foolishness to hurt lovely people. I am glad you have written a book addressing some of these difficulties because literature shapes our lives.
Yes, there were banned books in my school; however, it made me curious about those books, so I made it a mission to find those books at the city library and check them out. Unfortunately, I was disappointed every time and never found anything I thought worthy of banishment in a single book! It was silly stuff. For example: when I was nine, I searched for a banned book that our librarian made an issue. Our librarian went into a panic because during Joy in the Morning the wife goes into labor, goes to the hospital, and delivers a baby. Unbeknownst to our bewildered librarian, almost all the girls in my class managed to read Joy in the Morning during that school year, proving banning is not effective. Books were banned if a child died. To Kill a Mockingbird was banned because a rape was discussed. However, I was an advanced English student, so I studied Shakespeare, the Greek dramatists, etc. where I encountered original themes of varied stripes, so banning certain books made very little sense. Were books banned in your school?
If a book was banned and I wanted to read it, I just bought it or checked it out of the city library. I had been reading from the adult reading room at the city library since my elementary days, and the librarians there never tried to monitor my reading selections.
Fortunately, my parents allowed me to read whatever I could comprehend.
I hope you enjoy your retirement. It is so grand to choose what you want to do and when. Lovely to meet you!
Mod
I'm definitely looking forward to the Summer challenge - even if I do spend more time picking the books than actually reading them ;)
Hi, my name is Karren, I am a Hairdresser with my own business in Melbourne, Australia and I love to read. I have been a member of a book club in the past and when I found this group, I was really curious. I've never participated in anything like this challenge before. I think it's really cool and I've already started planning reads to fit in with the tasks. Can't wait to get started
Hello Everyone, My name is Whitney and I live in VT. I am a domestic violence advocate and direct service coordinator. I am an avid reader. I usually have two books going at one time! I look forward to being apart of this group!
Hi, I'm Julie. I'm a CPA. I work with my husband, been married 31 years. Everyone thinks two accountants being married to each other would be boring, but we're still head over heels. We're both musicians, and we love horses and camping. We've been camping all over America with our horses. I do feel bad for our kids, though, who were pretty much abandoned every tax season. Fortunately my folks loved to babysit them, and our kids loved being at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
I am excited about this group, I love a challenge, but I'm wondering where everyone gets their books. I mostly read books from the Oregon eLibrary, but I can't imagine they will have just the book I need right when I need it.
Any tips on that?
Julie, nice to meet you. Most of my books come from my local regional library. If they do not have the book, they will borrow it from another library in their system. If no library in the system has it, they will search outside libraries. I once got a book from Ketchikan Alaska! I also have books at home that I have not read, so I try to work them into challenges too. Finally, I will occasionally pick up books from the library sales or yard sales for a dollar or two.
Hi, my name is Kelly. I live in small-town Iowa with my husband and three kids. I work part-time in my town's teeny tiny library, which helps fuel my reading habit;-). I'm excited to get to know everyone, and I think this challenge looks like so much fun!
puppitypup wrote "I am excited about this group, I love a challenge, but I'm wondering where everyone gets their books. I mostly read books from the Oregon eLibrary, but I can't imagine they will have just the book I need right when I need it.Any tips on that?"
Hi Julie! I plan on getting my books from the library, or use my own books. I buy mostly used books, at garage sales, library sales, Goodwill, or from thriftbooks.com. I've found my local Goodwill to be a great source of used books, especially on their tag sale days. I've walked out of there with a bag full of books for just a few dollars.
If there's a specific book I want and I can't find it, I'll request it from my library and get it via ILL loan.
If you read only ebooks from the library, I do think that would be a bit more difficult, since (at least at my library), there's often a wait. I've now gone back to reading just dead tree books, but when I used to read just ebooks on my Nook, it wasn't uncommon for me to have to wait weeks or sometimes months for a specific book. It's one of the reasons I went back to paper books.
Hey Kelley, you've got my dream job! I've been using the Kindle exclusively because of being able to increase the font size. Can giant print books be requested through Interlibrary loans?
puppitypup wrote: "Hey Kelley, you've got my dream job! I've been using the Kindle exclusively because of being able to increase the font size. Can giant print books be requested through Interlibrary loans?"They sure can, at least at my library. The patrons just have to request they want large print.
Hello! I'm Steve and new to Goodreads. Would like to get to know others from anywhere and everywhere. Life has slowed down for me a bit and I have started self-publishing some old stuff that has entertained over the years as well as some new things. I have written mainly short humorous essays but will be branching out. I read just about everything, so if you have recommendations or have some time to sample a few of my efforts - I would love to hear from you.
Jc wrote: "Please take me out of this group"You can remove yourself from the group by clicking Edit next to "You are a member" under the group description.
Hello! My name is Nikki and I'm a 20 something from texas. Ive had a love of reading ever since I learned how. I acctually had some trouble learning to read as a child but after getting it down I fell in love and if I wasn't playing outside my nose was in a book. My main favorite genres are sci-fi, fantasy, historical (both fiction and non-fiction), and horror. I like to borrow books from my local library. Im so bad about going in there and just getting lost browsing the shelves haha
Hello! I'm Sam and am very new to Goodreads though loving it so far. I teach high school in Ontario, Canada and though I love to read, I wish I had more time - there are so many great books! I tend to read anything - many books are passed down through friends, though our library is great about getting anything we need, including audiobooks, which are great for when I'm walking the dog. I like the idea of a challenge as it helps me to choose what I'd like to read - I spend too much of my time just deciding! Looking forward to meeting everyone. While I'll try to catch up, I think the fall challenge will work better for me!
Hi I'm Bella! I know I'm pretty new but this program sounded so intriguing and I couldn't help myself. I'm 14 years old and I live in the Chicago area. I have a large number of favorite books but a recent favorite is the Harry Potter series. When I'm not reading I'm either spending time with family and friends or taking care of my pets. I have a dog and six chickens! I'm very excited to start my challenges! Hope to meet you all (:
Great to have the younger set join us. Do you know where River Forest is? i lived there for a year.
Greets all! I'm Daphne from Ohio. Mostly read non-fiction and science related books, and I'm about 50/50 for audio or text. Just got the new Kindle paperwhite in advance of my month long trip to Italy and Malta in September. Haven't done any challenges for a few months, and stumbled on this one. It looks like a lot of fun. Going to go explore more now. :)
Is that a real squirrel?? My dog would be so jealous ....
Pat wrote: "Is that a real squirrel?? My dog would be so jealous ...."It is. Kiera was a spectacular huntress.
Hey everyone I am Kamara, I am a 31 and live in Riverdale, GA. I am currently in school to become a Medical Assistant (3 months to go) I am a mother of a 9 year old little girl who is about as techie as her mother.I have been struggling with what they call a reading slump. I love to read anything that can get me interested by the description on the back. The genre I usually look at are mysteries and thrillers because I love the feeling of how everything unfolds. Although those are the books I am usually drawn to lately I have been looking at others across all genres. I also own a Kindle and the Kindle App that I would like to put to more use....lol!
I found Goodreads when I was trying to find a way to get out of my reading slump. I had read it was a good way to join a book club with others that have the same common goal to READ. I have looked at the hundreds of groups available and non interested me until I found this one. I love the task idea. I am competitive myself so the urge to beat someone or to complete a task is a great feeling. I am so ready for the challenge.
Have you considered audiobooks? Great way to multitask. Am presently reading a NY Times Bestseller "All the Light we Cannot See.! Also, sending an e mail to the author is fun and a great motivator!
Jane wrote: "Have you considered audiobooks? Great way to multitask. Am presently reading a NY Times Bestseller "All the Light we Cannot See.! Also, sending an e mail to the author is fun and a great motivator!"I have thought about the Audiobooks. I used Audiobooks in High School to pass an independent reading class. I may need to look into a little more.
Hello! I'm Ruchi, from India and I'm 16 years old:) I love to read (well that's obvious :P) and I'd love to take part in the challenges of this group )
Hi all! I'm Jenna from West Virginia. I'm a 26 year old who loves to read and finally has the time to read after finishing school! I'm very excited about these challenges and can't wait to take part!
Hi, I'm Kelly, from Brazil. I've never seen any challenge like this one, and I loved! Will start the fall challenge with you, even though for me it'll be spring! Lol.
Hi!My name is Katia, I'm 26, I'm a French teacher in primary school in France but I prefer reading in English. I live in the countryside with my cat and my main hobbies are: tango dancing, books, first names and postcards.
Hi everyone, I`m Laura from Portugal and I am currently on my last year of college. I joined Goodreads pretty recently and I`m really loving it because I`m very forgetfull (you know, buying the same book twice and things like that) and this will help me alot. I didn´t like to read at first. At all. Until one day I picked up one from my home´s mini library (1# Harry Potter I believe) and I have not stoped since that day.
Still don´t know if I can make this fall challenge but I`m really looking forward to start playing.
Gonna go read the rules now :)
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Escort: The True Story of an Orange County Call Girl (other topics)Joy in the Morning (other topics)
To Kill a Mockingbird (other topics)
A Little Princess (other topics)
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Sacha Haughtee (other topics)Beth Moore (other topics)
C.S. Lewis (other topics)
Francine Rivers (other topics)
Philippa Gregory (other topics)
More...
I'm a musician by training, but have worked a government job for 7 years. I hate it, so I'm taking some time off to figure out what I want to do with my life. I'm having a mid-life career crisis! Right now, I volunteer on a farm and write book reviews over at http://shiraloo.tumblr.com, but pretty soon I will be going back to work. BOO!
I will probably join in full during the summer challenge, after I've had some time to look around, but thanks for having me!